The scholarships given out this year were as follows: 7 SPH Journalism scholarships, 14 scholarships to children of SPH staff and newspaper vendors, and 10 SPH Foundation Lim Kim San Memorial scholarships.

The Guest-of-Honour was Dr Lee Boon Yang, Chairman for SPH and SPH Foundation. He presented the SPH Journalism and SPH Foundation Lim Kim San Memorial scholarships. Mr Alan Chan, Chief Executive Officer of SPH, gave out the scholarships to the children of SPH staff and newspaper vendors.

In his address, Dr Lee said: “SPH's traditional newspaper publishing operation is evolving rapidly to cope with a growing digital and social media landscape. The availability of alternative news sources and changing media consumption habits are challenges that we have to deal with. SPH will continue to invest in talent to help us deliver high quality products that will continuously engage the minds and enrich the lives of readers and consumers."

Mr Bian He, one of this year's Journalism Scholarship recipient, is pursuing Arts & Social Sciences at the National University of Singapore.

He said: "I believe journalism is bigger than what it seems to be. I feel more connected and more reflective as I go through daily reports and interviews with different aspects of the society. Such an opportunity does not come easily, and I thank SPH for giving me this chance to learn and strive in this field that I love."

SPH Foundation Lim Kim San Memorial Scholarships

The SPH Foundation Lim Kim San Memorial Scholarships are awarded to deserving students from modest backgrounds to fund their studies at local universities. Since its inception, there had been 53 recipients of the Lim Kim San Memorial Scholarships. The bond-free scholarships, which were originally awarded to full time language students, were extended to local undergraduates reading humanities last year, to mark SPH Foundation's 10th anniversary.

Mr Pang Xue Qiang, one of this year’s Lim Kim San Memorial Scholarship recipients, is pursuing Communication Studies at the Nanyang Technological University.

He said: "I feel incredibly blessed to be awarded the scholarship and would like to thank SPH Foundation for giving me this precious opportunity. The scholarship would first and foremost mean financial stability for me. It is also an affirmation and inspiration to continue to work harder and be the best for my family and community."

Ms Ashley Lim, another recipient for the Lim Kim San Memorial Scholarship, is reading English at the Nanyang Technological Univeristy.

She said: "I feel extremely honoured to receive this bond-free scholarship which greatly reduces my parents' financial burden. I will do my best to give back to society."

In recognition of their service and contributions to the company, a total of 14 scholarships were given to the children of SPH staff and news vendors for studies at the local junior colleges, polytechnics and universities.

Newspapers, Magazines and Book Publishing
SPH has 19 titles licensed under the Newspaper Printing and Presses Act, of which nine are daily newspapers across four languages. On an average day, 3.05 million individuals or 76 per cent of people above 15 years old, read one of SPH's news publications. SPH also publishes and produces more than 100 magazine titles in Singapore and the region, covering a broad range of interests from lifestyle to information technology. SPH's subsidiaries, Straits Times Press and Focus Publishing, produce quality books and periodicals in English and Chinese.

Internet and Mobile
Beyond print, SPH's suite of digital products includes online editions of newspapers and magazines, as well as mobile applications. Our online products enjoy 360 million page views with 23 million unique browsers every month. Apart from AsiaOne, SPH’s online and new media initiatives include ST701, the leading online marketplace for jobs (STJobs), property (STProperty), cars (STCars) and general classifieds (STClassifieds); Stomp, omy.sgand SPH Razor. SPH also launched The Straits Times’ iPad and enhanced iPhone applications, an Android smartphone application and The Business Times’ iPhone application. SPH’s Chinese flagship newspaper Lianhe Zaobao has also launched its digital editions which include a web application, as well as online and PDF versions.The Malay language-daily Berita Harian has apps for both iPhones and Android smartphones and iPads, offering both native and PDF formats, and an online version.

Broadcasting
In the radio business, SPH Radio Pte Ltd operates entertainment stations UFM 100.3 in Mandarin, as well as Kiss92 and HOT FM91.3 in English. SPH has a 20 per cent stake in MediaCorp TV Holdings Pte Ltd, which operates free-to-air channels 5, 8 and U, and a 40 per cent stake in MediaCorp Press Limited, which publishes the free newspaper, Today.

Events and Out-of-Home Advertising
SPH’s events arm Sphere Exhibits organises innovative consumer and trade events and exhibitions as well as large scale conferences in Singapore and the region. In addition, SPH has ventured into out-of-home (OOH) advertising through its digital out-of-home platform SPHMBO.

Properties
SPH REIT is a Singapore-based REIT established principally to invest, directly or indirectly, in a portfolio of income-producing real estate which is used primarily for retail purposes in Asia-Pacific, as well as real estate-related assets. SPH REIT is managed by SPH REIT Management Pte. Ltd., which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore Press Holdings Limited.

The initial portfolio of SPH REIT comprises the following two high quality and well located commercial properties in Singapore:

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Paragon, a premier upscale retail mall and medical suite/office property, well known for its upscale mall housing many luxury brands, located in the heart of Orchard Road; and

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The Clementi Mall, a mid-market suburban mall located in the centre of Clementi town, an established residential estate in the west of Singapore.

The Seletar Mall is SPH's latest retail development and is expected to open at the end of 2014. This property is a potential asset to be injected into SPH REIT. SPH’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Times Development Pte Ltd, also developed a 43-storey upmarket residential condominium, Sky@eleven, at Thomson Road.
For more information, please visit www.sph.com.sg.

About the Singapore Press Holdings Foundation

The Singapore Press Holdings Foundation, a registered charity and an Institution of Public Character, was first set up as the Press Foundation of Singapore in January 2003 to help build a lifelong learning community that embraces language enrichment, creativity, diversity, healthy living and sports. The seed contribution of $20 million to the Foundation came from media group Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. It was renamed Singapore Press Holdings Foundation in May 2005.